In first field of art, providers of Internet or web search services commonly make their search services available over the Internet. A user may access a search engine by directing a web browser application to a URL associated with the search engine. A web server returns a web document (typically an HTML document) which captures a search query input by the user and posts the search query to the provider's search engine systems.
The provider's search engine systems generate search results which are embodied in results document (again, typically an HTML document) which is returned to the browser for display.
Typically the search results include a listing of a plurality of web documents that include content related to the search query. The results document typically includes, for each of such web documents, an active hyperlink to the URL from which the document can be obtained. As such, the user may browse the results by “clicking” each result to direct his or her browser to the URL and obtain the document.
In addition to including the search results, the results document also may include “sponsored results” or other advertisements. Typically the sponsored results or other advertisements are within a category of advertisements that are associated with the search query. As with the search results, the web document includes, for each sponsored result or advertisement, an active hyperlink to a URL associated with the advertisement (or to a URL that will redirect the browser to a hyperlink associated with the advertisement.
One aspect of such existing architecture for accessing a search engine providers systems, from the perspective of the user, is that the results are not saved on a default basis and the results are not static. More specifically, unless the user manually uses his or her browser's capabilities for storing the HTML search results document, the search results will be lost when the web browser window is closed. Further, each time the user re-initiates a search query the search results provided by the search engine systems may be different.
From the perspective of the search engine service provider, the fact that search results are not saved on a default basis can be a benefit. Each time the user initiates a search query, the search engine service provider has a new opportunity to deliver different sponsored links or other advertisement to the user.
However, from the perspective of the user this existing architecture can create a challenging and frustrating situation in that the user may locate a search result document in a first search session but is unable to locate the same document in subsequent search sessions.
What is needed is a system and method for managing historical search results wherein search results are not lost when the web browser session with the search engine systems is closed. Further, what is needed a system and method for managing historical search results and enabling delivery of new sponsored links or advertisements in conjunction with a display of historical search results.